“FC Goa have long term plans to develop young talent” – Princeton Rebello

by Rounak Majumdar February 27, 2021

Goa, a small state on the southwestern coast of India has long been known for its passion and love for football. Multiple players and coaches have emerged from the region and have gone on to ply their trade at the highest levels. One of them is youngster Princeton Rebello. 

Playing for the State’s ISL Team FC Goa, the 21-year-old is one of the many polished products produced by the team. Princeton was signed by FC Goa’s developmental outfit back in 2017. 

Ever since then, the midfielder has risen through the ranks and made his first appearance for the senior team in 2019. This season, Princeton Rebello has appeared in 16 matches clocking more than 600 minutes of valuable match exposure. 

FootballCounter went up and close with Princeton Rebello to discuss the developments since his initial days at FC Goa, personal ambitions, and difficulties imposed by the pandemic: 

EXCERPTS:

How has coach Juan Ferrando impacted the philosophy of FC Goa?

Our coach Juan Ferrando is demanding of us tactically while also always giving us the confidence to play on the field. His words are always positive and help every player. We learn from him and try to implement the same in our games. 

How does it feel to be one of the youngest players to play for FC Goa?

For me, as I have always said, any young player will want to play for FC Goa. Speaking from personal experience, I’ve been here for a few years and I’ve seen myself grow and understand the style of play. For me, it is a pleasure to represent my state club.

Having been a part of FC Goa since 2017, what according to you has changed within the system?

I’ve seen a lot of positive things here. For example, many young players are moving into the first team and the management is showing a lot of trust and faith in the young players. They have a long-term plan for all of this. And that makes me happy. To have many young players coming through the system is not only good for the club but Indian football. 

What are your ambitions with FC Goa?

For me, the main target is to get match time and to be a consistent player in the team. I want to learn from the foreign players who are anyways helping me a lot. Football, at the end of the day, is a team game and all I want is the betterment of our team. I want to win every game and look forward to playing the playoffs.

What is your take on FC Goa’s run of form so far?

I feel we are improving day by day. From the outside, it may look like it’s difficult but here every player believes in their abilities and wants to play. More importantly, everyone is helping each other, especially foreigners who are helping all of us. The coach and management are working hard. This is a new team. There are a lot of young players in the squad and as a team, I feel we have a great future.

How difficult has it been to play games under the bio-bubble, tell us a bit about the camaraderie in between the boys?

It’s been very very difficult being inside the bio-bubble for almost five months now. We haven’t seen our families and that is something I always look forward to. However, the team has become my family now. Everyone is just focused on the rest of the games because we want to win the title. Everyone motivates each other and helps with whatever is needed. Together, we just want to win.

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